Wire stretcher



June 14, 1927.

L. C. WOODYARD WIRE STRETCHER Filed Oct.- 2, 1922 fully setforth, pointed' out inv my claim Patented June 14, 1927.

.unire-:D PATENT LAUREL C; W OODYABEOF. LACONA, IOWA.

`WIRE STRETCHER.

`,Apliyzgataion' led October 2, 1,922. Serial 110.1591391.

"vide a structure ha'vingmechanism andV parts ofv novel and simple construction, which device can .be readily adapted'for use in stretching woven wire fence or ordinary straight or barbed'wire, v

With. these and other( objects in view, my invention consists `inl the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts vof my device, whereby the objectscontemplated are attained, asr hereinafter more and illustrated in theaccompanying drawj ings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a combined barbed and'woven wire fence stretcher embodying my invention, illustratwhich can be readily and easilyoperated for stretching wire in building fences.

I desire to make such a device, which can be operated with a `minimum of effort, and which can be readily 'and' easily released under tension, if'that'V should'be necessary,

and which can be ope-ratedffor drawing the wire to any tension and thensimply released without danger of losingt-he` tension on the wire.

My improved stretcher comprises a frame, which is preferably made of a single piece or bar of metal, having at one end the transverse member, indicated in the accompanyl ing drawings, by the reference numeral 10.

At the ends of the member 10, the strip is bent to form parallel spaced members 11, extending away from the member 10, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

At points substantially spaced from the member 10, the bar or strip portions are inclined inwardly toward each other, as at 12, and are then inclined away from the member 10 in parallell Vrelation with each other` as at 13.

At the end ofthe frame opposite the member 10 one 'of thek members 13 .is bent across parallel with the member v10 ,and around the end of the other member-"13 as shown in Figure 1 at 14 and15.v

The member 15 lisV preferably secured to the adjacent member lrby welding or otherwise.

In position spaced from'the cross member 10, a cross member 16 having flanges *17.-con nects the members 11 and formsl a` brace ,and supporting member. The. flanges 17 are preferably secured tothe vmembers 11"- by rivets, bolts or the like 1 8.

A cross member4` 19 extends' ybetween the *members 12 vadjacent to the members'fl3 andv has at its ends, inclined portions 2O fitting against the inner surfaces ofthe Imembers 11, as shown in Figure 3. f The members 20 may be secured. toth members 12 by rivets or the like/22.

`In the members'10, v16 and '19 are' holes 23, 24 and 25 arranged vin alignment with each other. through the holes 23, 24 and 25, which serve as guides and supports forsaid rod.

In the drawings, lha-ve 'shown the holes slightly enlarged in orderto' .'clearly'illu's-Y trate them. As a matter of fact, they are just large enough to snugly fit the threaded rodv and yet to permit its free movement.

Adjacent to the cross membersl onits side next to the cross membery 19, :there is. mounted onthe'threaded yrod 26- a.- beveled lgear 27, having a hub 28 provided'with in- -terior screw-threads to coact with the thread.

of the rod 26.

Mounted in one ofthe members `11.,as shownf for instance inVFigure 3i is' a-short shaft 28a. On the inner end of the. shaft 28a in mesh with the beveled gear 27 is fixed a beveled gear 29.

On the outer end of'the shaft`28a outside the frame hereinbefore referred to is a crank handle 30. The end of the threaded rod 26, which projects away from the frame, is preferably smooth as shown at 31 in Figures 1 and 5, and is provided with a hole 32 to receive a clevis pin 33 for connecting a clevis 34 to the threaded rod 26.

Mounted in the member 14 is an eye bolt 33'i shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 mounted for free rotation. The eye 34BL of the eye bolt A threaded rod 26 is extended j 39a is designed to receive a bolt or clevis pin 35, whereby a clevis may be secured to the main trame et the device.

A chain 3T is preferably secured to the clevis 3G and is provided at its tree end with a hook 38. The chain 37 may be put around the post 'Lor anchoring the stretcher it "esired l prelferably loosely mount on the clevis 236 a wire clamp device d0, which can be used, if desired, where the stretcher is anchored to a n' ire instead oiI to a post.

lt vfill be seen that by slipping ont the pin or bolt 235 'the frire claire p device fil) may be removed trom vthe cievis and :fastened to the bool;

lt is also obvious that by removing the pin 55, the chain may be tahen eti' the stretcher when desired.

A similar wire gripping device or clamp 40 is loosely mounted on the clevis let, so that it may be secured to a single strand of barbed wire or plain wire when desired.

l provide as a part et my stretcher a pair oit' upright members, which .may be boards orotherwise ft2, arranged parallel nith each other and held together by means et bolts i3 and nuts rthe tolteA #Vl-.fl may be removed and the end or' a section ot vmven wire lence @l5 .may be placed lfctvveen the boards and thereafter 'the bolts lil inserted through the boar-r s antL the nuts del tightly screwed thereon.

The user may then .slip the clevis 551i; around the b ard 42, as shown in Figure l, and Ytasten the clcvis to the threaded rod Tvvlhen the other end ol the stretcher is then aiichored, as .shown in Figure l by securing the clamp LlO at the right-hand end o vthe device to an anchored wire, the device ready for use.

lt will, olf course, be nnoerstood that when the paits are lirst assembled and connected with the woven wire tence or with a barbed wire or plain wire, which is to he stretched, the threaded rod 2G is near the lett-han d end of its movement, as shown vl'or instance in Figure l.

The user simply operates the crank 30 for drawing the threaded rod QG inwardly toward the ends 14 of the frame and the ience wire will be stretched.

The user can stop operating the crank at any time, and there is no danger ot' the device accidentally reversing itself for releasing the tension on the fence.

Ordinary smooth wire or barbed wire can b2 stretched by using the clamps 4M).

By providing the stretcher with the clevis 3l and the eyebolt 33 and the clevis 36, il is made so that it can be readily adapted for sii-etching any hind of wire fence.

'lille use ol` the clevis f'l-l and pin 33, the letter being' eii'ended through the threaded rod Ll, is sncli as to prevent rotation of the rod 2.6 during the operation o'lI tie crank handleBO, because the clevis 34 can not rotate on account et the boards 42.

lilven in stretchii'ig a single sti and ot Wire, :e operator can grasp the trame of the deice. and it is not diilicnlt to prevent its rol ation.

fi ie spaced members lil atlord between them room tor the threaded rod 26 and serve to protect the threads, when the device is not in use.

claim as my invention:

in a wire stretcher, a iframe having end members and longitudinal side members, sar l s; le members being spaced to accomrn ,te gearing and bent inwardly at an angie between their ends whereby a portion oc the sides are spaced closer together, a cross element secured to the inwardly bent po @ons ot the side members and a second cross element spaced from the lirst one, a threaded rod loosely jonrnalled in said cross elements and one end oit the trame, a bevelled gear having' a threaded connection with the rod and arranged abutting the second cross element, a shaft jonrnalled in one longitudinal member, having on one end a bevelled gear meshing with the iii-st bevelled and on the other end an operating means, whereby the rod can be moved longitudinally with a minimum tendency to bind and 'fastening means connected with the trame and rod respectively.

LAUREL o. WooDYAnn.d 

